Historic run to US Girls’ Junior Championship instils confidence in S’pore golfer Chen Xingtong

SINGAPORE – A historic run to the final of the United States Girls’ Junior Championship has renewed Singaporean golfer Chen Xingtong’s belief in her game.

While the 16-year-old missed out on the title after a 2 and 1 defeat by Canada’s Aphrodite Deng in the final in Georgia on July 19, she walked away with something just as valuable: confidence.

Looking back on her week, she said: “I think it definitely gave me a lot more confidence because previously I had a lot of doubts about myself, just would I be able to make it even just as an amateur golfer, trying to get into college.

“But I think after this week, I definitely have a lot more confidence and just trust my game a bit more.”

Even before the final, the world No. 291 amateur had made history as the first Singaporean to reach the championship match of the prestigious junior event, which has served as a springboard for many of the world’s top players, including Australia’s world No. 5 Minjee Lee, a three-time Major champion.

Xingtong entered matchplay as the fifth seed after carding a five-under 137 over two rounds of strokeplay, finishing in a four-way tie for second, just one stroke behind American leader Grace Carter.

Compatriot Guo Junxi also advanced, placing joint-45th with a four-over 146, but bowed out in the round of 64 after a 6 and 5 loss to Canada’s Clairey Lin.

Meanwhile, Xingtong powered through the bracket with wins over American Macie Rasmussen (2 up), Australia’s Amelia Harris (6 and 4), and the US’ Mia Clausen (3 and 2) and Katelyn Kong (4 and 3), before edging out top seed Grace (1 up) in the semi-finals to set up the showdown with Aphrodite.

Asked to describe her run in one word, the Singapore Sports School student said: “It could be ‘amazing’ because honestly, I never expected to make it this far. But I think it should be ‘unexpected’.

“I never really dared to believe I could get this far in this championship. Just this opportunity to be here, I’m so grateful, just very proud to be here.”

In the 36-hole final held at the Atlanta Athletic Club’s Riverside Course in Johns Creek, Aphrodite struck first, opening with a birdie, but Xingtong responded quickly, winning the second and fourth holes to briefly go 1 up.

But Aphrodite, who had won the Junior Invitational and the Mizuho Americas Open earlier in 2025, took holes No. 6, 7 and 10, before back-to-back birdies on the 12th and 13th saw her lead by four, an advantage she maintained till the halfway mark.

After a 90-minute lunch break, Xingtong registered birdies on the 19th and 23rd holes to reduce Aphrodite’s lead to two, but the 36th-ranked amateur gave herself some breathing space with another birdie on the par-three 24th.

But Xingtong kept the pressure on, winning the 26th, though a missed short putt saw her bogey the par-four 27th, allowing Aphrodite to regain a 3-up cushion, before a birdie on the 28th restored her four-hole advantage.

Still, the Singaporean refused to fade as she won the 30th, 32nd and 34th holes to bring the match to the par-three 35th, where Aphrodite held her nerve to sink a four-foot par putt and become the tournament’s first Canadian champion.

Xingtong said: “Definitely saw a lot of positives out there. Just being able to keep my focus and my spirit throughout these 35 holes, and just not giving up, even though I was like four down.”

The final capped an eye-opening month in the US for Xingtong. After winning her qualifier in Missouri in mid-June, she placed fifth at an American Junior Golf Association event and came in tied-13th at the Junior World Championships.

She said: “I love it. The environment here, just the general community around golf is very different from Singapore because we don’t have much of a golfing culture, so to speak.

“Compared to some of the other places, I think it’s just the amount of people that play golf, really. It’s just such a big part of the culture.”

While she earned an exemption into the Aug 4-10 US Women’s Amateur Championship as a finalist on July 19, she will not be competing owing to scheduling conflicts.

Still, she returns with plenty to build on. Xingtong said: “There were a lot of positives and I’ve been able to figure out some of my weaknesses as well.”

Identifying her putting and short game as areas to improve on, she added: “It’s really showed that I have what it takes as long as I just work a little bit harder.”

Singapore Golf Association chief executive Joshua Ho said it has been a privilege to watch Xingtong’s growth under the guidance of the national coaches and her support team since she was identified as a talent at the age of 11.

He said: “It’s exciting to see her excel on a global stage, and we are very proud of her determination and fighting spirit especially in the final.

“To have Xingtong become the first Singaporean to reach the final of such a prestigious event is a monumental achievement, not only for her but also for Singapore golf. We look forward to continue supporting her as she chases her golfing dreams.”